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January 29, 2008
Mary Jane Hurst: Mover and Shaker
Hurst has brought more to Texas Tech than her love of language and passion for teaching.
Written by Gretchen Pressley
Mary Jane Hurst, professor of linguistics and faculty assistant to the president, has chaired efforts to bring the elite honor society Phi Beta Kappa to Texas Tech, as well as creating and developing the Presidential Lecture and Performance Series.
Mary Jane Hurst exemplifies what she teaches.
“Language is speech, expression and emotion. It’s our primary way of expressing ourselves and defines who we are,” said the professor of linguistics and faculty assistant to the president.
Judging by her soft speech, lifted voice, and obvious excitement over the chosen topics of conversation, this certainly defines what is important to Hurst.
On the faculty at Texas Tech since 1986, Hurst’s favorite part about teaching is the variety of students, which makes the job challenging and rewarding.
“I love teaching students how what they learn at school affects their daily lives. For example, in my intro into linguistics course, they learn how the use of language is integral to their everyday lives. No one is isolated from language. I get so excited about the first awakening when they realize that in my class.”
Her other position, as faculty assistant to the president, was created by President Jon Whitmore and filled by Hurst in 2006.
“I really like working in the President’s Office because I fully support the steps that President Whitmore takes to assist the faculty, staff and students at Texas Tech,” Hurst said. “He really wants to know what will help people succeed, and he puts all of his efforts into making it happen.”
In her spare time, Hurst helps out with the South Central Modern Language Association Women’s Caucus and dabbles in genealogy.
“Most of my ancestors were from Germany, England and France,” Hurst said. “Oh, and according to Ancestry.com, I’m one of the direct descendents of Geoffrey Chaucer. I haven’t done the research on that myself, but if it’s true, that would be quite an interesting story to tell.”
As she sits in her office, surrounded by stacks of books on her “to-read” list, Hurst excitedly brings the conversation around to the two programs at Texas Tech that she is most proud of: the Presidential Lecture and Performance Series and the new Phi Beta Kappa society.
Hurst founded the lecture series a year ago and has been instrumental in coordinating each program.
“These programs are a major part of the cultural life of the community,” Hurst said. “We choose programs that cover all of the academic areas. And as part of each event, we’ve done some sort of outreach into the community.”
One such example was a recent performance by the Santa Fe Opera for more than 2,000 Lubbock-area students, exposing many children to opera for the first time. The group also provided a free concert to the public.
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honorary in the United States and is one of the most prestigious in the world. Only about 10 percent of institutions of higher learning have established chapters. Hurst was a member of the society during her undergraduate years and was determined to help Texas Tech become one of the elite universities housing a chapter.
“This has been one of the most important academic developments since the start of the university,” Hurst said. “We can only build upon the excellence already established here. The addition of Phi Beta Kappa confirms that we are a high-quality institution.”
Photo by Artie Limmer
Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing, 806-742-2136.